Equipment cabinet

ABSTRACT

An equipment cabinet having a corrugation in the side panels is disclosed. The panels are affixed to a base by bolting or welding so as to be disposed opposite each other. Holes are provided in opposing surfaces the so that cross members may be secured in a position between the opposing side panels of the cabinet to Form a support structure for equipment, such as batteries. Equipment may also be attached using mounting brackets. An equipment retaining bracket includes a retaining cross member, an L-shaped bracket and a bolt to joint the retaining cross member and the L-shaped bracket so as to secure the battery in two dimensions. Retaining brackets may be provided at the front and the rear surfaces of the equipment and, in cooperation with the cross members, retain the equipment in the cabinet.

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/249,877 filed on Apr. 4, 2014 which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/799,626,filed on May 2, 2007 which claims the benefit of priority to U.S.provisional application 60/798,094, filed on May 5, 2006, each of whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to an equipment cabinet or enclosure, and morespecifically to a cabinet suitable for accepting storage batteries orelectrical equipment and retaining the storage batteries or equipmenttherein.

BACKGROUND

Equipment cabinets are used to house mechanical, electronic, electricaland related equipment so that the equipment is protected from damage,and that personnel are protected from coming into contact with dangerousmachinery, voltages or the like. Many equipment cabinet designs havestandardized dimensions to conform to one of several industry standardequipment form factors and provide for efficient and estheticallypleasing structures and to meet a variety of environmental anddurability requirements. Designs may differ in detail depending on aspecific application, and may be in the from of an open structure withvertical rails on the sides to support equipment bolted into holes inthe racks having standardized spacing, may have side panel closures, andmay have front and rear closures. The front and rear closures may bedoors, which are on hinges, and may be lockable. The terms equipmentenclosure, rack, cabinet, and the like, may actually refer to astructure performing the same or similar function, or adaptable to doso. A person of skill in the art will understand that the apparatusdisclosed herein is encompassed by the functional aspects of the commonequivalent terminologies.

Vertical equipment support rails may be integral to the cabinet such asend posts, may be a component of structure, and may be bolted or weldedtogether, and to a top and a base, for structural rigidity. Forsupporting heavy equipment, such as storage batteries, a series oflongitudinal rails may be connected between the front and rear verticalrails on each side of the cabinet, and a plurality of cross-rails boltedto the longitudinal rails to create a support on which storagebatteries, for example, may be placed. For equipment such as batteries,which may not be fitted with flanges or bolt holes to attach to thevertical or horizontal rails, it may be necessary to provide additionalretaining structures. Such structures require a significant amount ofassembly time.

In another aspect, it is known that such racks or cabinets may beprovided with mounting holes in the vertical members located near thecorners of the rack, and having mounting-hole spacings in accordancewith one of several industry standards. For example, a spacing betweenpairs of holes has a period of 1.75″ (44.45 mm) for equipment meetingEIA-310-D (Electronic Industries Alliance, formerly ElectronicIndustries Association). In this configuration, the usable height isoften specified in units of “U”, each one being a height interval of1.75″. Similarly, the equipment may meet an older standard (WECO,Western Electric Co.) having a periodicity of 2″, or a similar standardpromulgated by ESTI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).Other aspects of the construction, such as the type and thickness of thematerial, and the like may be likewise defined. The typical arrangementof mounting holes is that two holes are provided for each standardheight increment, and the pair of holes has a different spacing than thespacing between pairs of holes representing the height increment. Thisassists in determining the corresponding holes to be used on theopposite side of rack.

While it is convenient to describe the construction using standarddimensions, and combinations of structures, nothing herein is intendedto suggest that the dimensions or arrangements are limited to suchstandard dimensions and structures, as the apparatus described herein isadaptable to a wide variety of support and enclosure applications.

SUMMARY

An equipment cabinet is described, including a base, and a pair ofopposing vertical panels having corrugations in the surface thereof,with one end of each vertical panel being fastened to the base. Thecorrugations may be, for example, U-shaped channels oriented in avertical direction and having holes formed in surfaces of the U-shapedchannels. Equipment may be mounted in the cabinet using brackets,shelves, cross rails, and the like. Alternatively, the U-shaped channelmay have holes formed in a surface thereof located between the opposingsurfaces of the U-shaped channel, and be disposed to as to be engagablewith an equipment tray using fasteners. The tray may be dimensioned soas to receive a plurality of storage batteries.

In an aspect, cross rails or cross members may be provided, sized anddimensioned so that a slot or hole in tab thereof may be aligned with ahole in the U-shaped channels, when the cross rail is disposedhorizontally and orthogonal to the vertical panels. The cross-rails maybe secured to the vertical panels by bolting or other similar fasteningmeans. Alternatively, a shelf may be provided.

In another aspect, the holes in the U-shaped channels may be disposedwith a vertical separation that is consistent with a hole pattern on amounting bracket, suitable for attachment to a device to be mounted inthe cabinet, or suitable for securing an equipment shelf to the verticalsides. The equipment may be manufactured so that the front panel thereofhas holes or slots having the same spacing as that of the hole patternin the U-shaped panel, so that the equipment may be directly attached bybolting. The rear portion of the equipment may be secured with a bracketconnected to a rearward disposed U-channel, or supported by a crossmember, or the like. Similarly, rack mounting slides having compatiblemounting hole or slot arrangements may be connected to the verticalsides so as to permit the equipment to be translated out of the rack forservicing.

In another aspect, a retaining bracket assembly is described, includinga retaining cross member, sized and dimensioned so that a slots or holesin tab thereof are alignable with holes in U-shaped channels of a pairof opposing vertical panels when the retaining cross rail is disposedhorizontally. The retaining bracket assembly also has a retainingbracket having a substantially L-shaped form with a tab extensiontherefrom being oriented perpendicular to one face of the L-bracket. Ahole may be provided in the tab and disposed opposite a hole formed inthe retaining cross rail so that a bolt may be passed through each of heholes. Either a nut or a nut captivated to the hole in the retainingcross rail may be used to secure the bolt and orient the retainingbracket so as to restrain the equipment.

A method of manufacturing a battery cabinet is described, the methodincluding: providing a base and attaching a pair of vertical panels tothe base. The vertical panels arc provided with a corrugation portionhaving apertures or holes spaced along a length thereof. A pair of crossmembers or a shelf may be attached to the vertical panels at a samedistance above the base so as to form a shelf dimensioned to support abattery. A wiring harness suitable for connecting a plurality ofbatteries may be installed in the cabinet. A plurality of batteries maybe placed on the shelf and connected to the wiring harness. In analternative, an equipment support tray may be attached to the verticalpanels to support a battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the equipment cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of an example of the equipmentcabinet with the top, front and rear closures removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of the equipment cabinet with the top,front and rear closures removed;

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the equipment cabinet shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the equipment cabinet shown inFIG. 3, with one of the side panels and some of the batteries removed;

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of the retaining bracket assemblyshown in FIGS. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an equipment shelf for use with theequipment cabinet of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of another exampleof the equipment cabinet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments may be better understood with reference to thedrawings, but these examples are not intended to be of a limitingnature. Like numbered elements in the same or different drawings performequivalent functions. When a specific feature, structure, orcharacteristic is described in connection with an example, it will beunderstood that one skilled in the art may effect such feature,structure, or characteristic in connection with other examples, whetheror not explicitly stated herein.

In an example, an exterior perspective view of a cabinet 1 is shown inFIG. 1, including a front door 5, top structure 10, and base structure15. The rear panel or door is not visible in this view. The side panels20 are shaped into a beam-like structure by a series of corrugations, orU-channels 22 formed into the surface thereof. Four such verticalU-channels 22 arc shown; however, the number of U-channels 22 may beselected based on the use of the cabinet and structural requirements.The corrugated panel 20 may be formed from a metal such as steel bymanufacturing processes such as cold rolling or a press brake, as isknown in the art.

In an aspect, the corrugations may be formed by attaching a U-shapedchannel having an everted lip to the panel surface. The everted lip maybe in contact with the panel surface and attached by bolting, screwingor welding.

The side panels 20 may attach to vertical rails (not shown) at eachcorner of the cabinet 1. Alternatively, the panels 20 may act as thecorner rails by being formed to have a stiffened end portion. The sidepanels 20 may be attached to a base structure 15, and a top structure 10by bolting, screwing, welding or similar fastening technique so as toform a shell-like structure. In this manner, the overall cabinetenvelope may be considered to be a hollow beam; sides of the beam thatare side panels of the cabinet having U-channels contribute to increasedstructural stiffness in bending transverse to the surface of the panel,and may have increased buckling strength when compared with conventionalflat side panels. Such an increase in bending strength may beattributed, in part, to an increase in the moment of inertia of the sidepanel structure. Other corrugated structural forms may also be used,such as a hat-stiffened panel.

When the cabinet 1 has a rear panel or door (not shown) in place, and afront panel or door, the overall structure may be considered a closedshell having increased structural rigidity.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the cabinet 1 with the top, frontand rear structures removed. The cabinet 1 is shown in a configurationsuitable for accommodating storage batteries 60, and five rows of sixbatteries 60 are shown. FIG. 3 shows the cabinet from a rear perspectiveview. In this example, the batteries are shown in ranks of 6 batteriesdisposed across the width of the cabinet. The battery ranks are disposedsuch that a lower rank is positioned further towards the front of thecabinet than a higher rank. This arrangement may have serviceabilityadvantages and is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/346,042, filed on Feb. 2, 2006, entitled “Tiered Battery Cabinet”which is commonly assigned, and which is incorporated herein byreference. Other battery and equipment mounting arrangements arepossible, and the stepped arrangement shown in the present example isnot intended to be a limitation. The cabinet is equally suited toreceive equipment stacked at a constant distance from the front of thecabinet, or a combination of mounting arrangements.

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of the front of thecabinet 1. A series of holes 24 is formed in the U-channel surfaces 26.The surfaces 26 are disposed substantially perpendicular to thefront-to-rear-direction of the side panel 20. The spacing of the holes24 may depend on the specific application; however, in many applicationsthis spacing will correspond to an industry standard such as thatestablished by the EIA for electronic equipment. Often, the standardspacing for hole patterns in electronic equipment has a pair of holesfor each attachment, and the spacing between the holes in the pair isdifferent than the spacing between pairs of holes. In the EIspecification, specifications of 0.625 inch and 0.5 inch are used.However, the holes 24 may be equally spaced, and one or more of theholes 24 may be used to secure equipment or other structures to the sidepanel 20. Where a U-channel 22 is used only for structural purposes,holes 24 may not be formed therein.

In an example, cross members or cross rails 30 are fitted to one or moreof the vertical U-channels 22 so as to form a skeletal shelf to supportthe batteries 60. Each of the cross rails 30 may be a U channel, anL-channel or similar cross section, and is fitted between opposingvertical U-channels 22 in the side panels 20 a, b. Each end of thecross-rails 30 may have a pair of ears 32 extending in the lengthdirection of the cross rail 30 and may have a spacing therebetween whichis greater that the longitudinal distance between opposing sides 26 ofthe vertical U-channel 22. The holes 34 are provided in the ears or tabs32 of the cross rails 30, sized and dimensioned so as to create anaperture through the ears 32 and to align with the holes 24 in thevertical U-channel 22 when the ears are positioned in a heightdirection, the alignment being suitable for the insertion of a rod, boltor sleeve (not shown). The rod or bolt may pass through each of thefacing holes 24, 34 in the ears 32 and the U-channel 22 and secure thecross rails 30 in place. For, example, the bolt may be fitted with a nutand, the tabs 32 compressed against the opposing sides 26 of theU-channel 22. The details of the rod, bolt, sleeve, or the like, maydepend on the specific use, and on strength and assembly considerations.

When a plurality of cross-rails 30 are connected between opposing sidepanels 20 a, b at the same height above the base 15, a shelf may beformed to support the weight of the batteries 60, or other equipment, ineach rank. In the example, the batteries 60 arc shown in an arrangementwhere the front of each rank of batteries is further from the front ofthe cabinet as the rank of the batteries 60 increases from the base.Depending on the rank of the battery tier, all of the verticalU-channels 22 may not be fitted with cross-rails 30 at each rank level,as the battery 60 may not extend longitudinally to a position where suchcross-rails would be needed to provide support when the battery 60 is inan inserted position.

In another aspect, the U-channels 22 may protrude from the side of thepanel 20 to protrude outward from the cabinet 1, and the tabs 32 in thecross rails 30 may be sized and dimensioned so that the distance betweenopposing tabs 32 in a cross rail 30 is less than the distance betweenopposing interior faces 26 of the U-channel 22 in the side verticalpanel 20. In this arrangement, the tabs 32 in the cross rail 30 may beinserted into the space formed between the opposing sides 26 of theU-channel 22, and the holes 34 in the tabs 32 aligned with the holes 24in the U-channel 22 when the cross rail 30 is in a horizontal position.The cross rail 30 may be secured to the side panel 20 using fastenersinserted into the aligned holes 24, 34, as previously described.

In yet another aspect, the distance between opposing sides of a U-shapedcross rail 30 may be less than the distance between opposing sides ofthe U-channel 22, and the tabs 32 may be formed by a continuation of thesides of the cross rail 30. In this circumstance, the top of the crossrail 30 may connect the two tabs 32 so that the cross rail 30 is acontinuous structure between the opposing ends. This may increase thebearing strength of the section of cross rail 30 in which holes 34 areformed for the purposes of connecting the cross rail 30 to the sidepanel 20. Other cross sectional shapes for the cross rails 30 are alsopossible, such as an L-shape, or a box beam.

FIG. 4 also shows a portion of a battery retainer bracket assembly 2. Asshown, the battery retainer bracket assembly 2 includes a cross-rail orcross member 70 similar to that used to support the batteries, andpositioned near a rear portion of the battery rank. A retaining bracket71 has a generally L-shaped configuration so that one side may bedisposed to oppose a rear surface of the battery, and another side ofthe L-shaped configuration may be disposed to oppose a top surface ofthe battery. In this example, the side opposing the top surface of thebattery is formed into a series of flat blades which are insertable intoslots 74 in the U-shaped retainer cross rail 70. It is equally possiblefor the top surface of the retaining bracket to be formed withoutindividual blades, and for the battery retainer cross-rail 70 to haveanother shape, limited only by being adapted to interface with thevertical U-channels 22 in the side panel 20.

FIG. 5 is a further perspective view of the cabinet 1, where the side 20a, retaining bracket assembly 2, and the batteries 60 of rank four havebeen removed to better show the details of the cross rails 30. Theleft-hand ends of the cross rails 30 are shown connected to theU-channels 22 of side panel 20 of the cross-rails by aligning the holes34 in the ears 32 with the holes 24 in the U-channel 22. The batteries60 of the first battery rank may be retained by a removable bracket 78,attached with metal screws or bolts to the base 15. Similar brackets(not shown) may be attached to the cross rails 30 of higher ranks, orwebbing straps used to retain the batteries in the cabinet duringshipping, and for seismic events.

FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the retainer bracket assembly2, including a retainer cross rail 70 and a retaining bracket 71. Theretaining bracket 71 is fitted with one or more tabs 76 extending in avertical direction and having a hole 80 therein. A bolt 82 is insertablein the hole 80 so that the bolt 82 also passes through a hole 84 in theretainer cross-rail 70. The retainer cross-rail 70 may have holes 84 inopposing surfaces of the U-channel, however only one of the pair ofholes 84 may be used, depending on the position of the retainercross-rail 70 with respect to a rear surface 62 of the battery 60 andthe length of the bolt 82. The bolt 82 may be turned to draw the side ofthe retaining bracket 71 against the rear surface 62 of the battery 60when the battery 60 is in the desired position. Another surface of theretaining bracket 71 opposes a top surface 66 of the battery 60.

In an aspect, the holes in the retainer cross rail 70 may be fitted withpress-fit nuts 84 so that the bolt 82 may be inserted into the hole inthe retainer cross-rail 70 and tightened after batteries 60 areinstalled in the cabinet or rack so as to adapt to the battery position.This may permit removal and replacement of individual batteries from therear direction as well as the front direction when servicing theequipment.

A similar retaining bracket assembly 2 (not shown) may be positioned atthe front of the battery 60 to retain the battery in a frontaldirection. In such a configuration, the retainer cross rail 70 isdisposed below the battery 60 to be retained, and the retaining bracket71 oriented such that the flat surfaces thereof oppose a front surface64 and an under surface of the battery 60. The combination of front andrear retaining bracket assemblies 2, cooperating with cross rails 30,may serve to retain the battery 60 securely within the cabinet, and mayserve to meet structural requirements for earthquake zones.

Alternatively, a webbing or strap may be used to secure the batteries orother equipment.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a shelf or tray structure 90 which may besuitable for use with the cabinet 1. A tray bottom surface supports thebatteries 66, and a front and rear lip, or a retaining plate 92 may beprovided to retain the batteries 66. Each side of the tray 90 isprovided with a side surface 97, perpendicular, and fastened to thebottom surface. The side surface 97 may be provided with a plurality ofmounting holes so that an attachment bracket 95 may be fastened to theside surface 97. Groups of the plurality of holes for attaching theattachment bracket 95 to the side surface 97 may be spaced at a distancecorresponding to the distance increment by which successive tiers may beset back by a horizontal distance from each other. The bracket 95 mayhave holes 34 disposed and spaced so that they may be aligned with holes24 in the side panels 20.

In another aspect, the bracket 95 may be affixed directly to a chassisor case of any device that may be mounted in the cabinet. The bracket 95is sized and dimensioned such that a pair of brackets 95, disposed onopposing sides of a device may be spaced such as to align the holes 34with the holes 24. A nut and bolt or a screw may be used to affix thebracket 95 to the side panels 20.

In still another aspect, a wiring harness may be provided in the cabinetso that batteries positioned on the shelves may be connected in series,parallel or series-parallel to result in a product that has a voltageoutput and a current output and capacity meeting a specifiedrequirement. The requirement may be expressed by a product specificationor by a customer need. The connection of batteries in series results ina voltage that is the sum of the voltages of the batteries in the seriesstring, and the connection of strings of batteries increases the currentoutput to the sum of the currents of a battery in each of the strings.The batteries may be installed in the cabinet during the manufacture ofthe battery system, or be installed at the location where the cabinet isinstalled.

In yet another aspect, the equipment to be mounted in the cabinet 1 maybe sized and dimensioned so that holes 34 in an extension of a panel ofthe equipment are disposed so as to be positionable with respect toholes 24 in the side panels 20, so as to permit the equipment to bedirectly mounted to the side panels 20 using the holes 24.

Another example of the equipment cabinet is shown in a partial explodedview in FIG. 8. Here the second vertical panel, the top the rearclosure, and the front closure are not shown so the remainder of thedetails may be seen with clarity. This example is similar to the firstexample, and thus only the salient features will be described; theremainder will be apparent to a person of skill in the art.

The side vertical panel 20 is formed so as to have a single broad Ushaped channel having side walls 26 and a bottom wall 22, and disposedwithin the vertical side panel 20. A cut out 120 is provided in the topof the panel 20 so that when a plurality of equipment cabinets 1 arcpositioned close together in a row, the cut out 120 may be used tofacilitate routing of cables between the equipment cabinets.

A plurality of apertures 24 may be formed in the central wall 22 of theU-channel and where the horizontal spacing pattern of the apertures 26is repeated in a vertical direction. The spacing between pairs ofapertures 26 in the vertical and the horizontal directions may be thesame distance, or a different distance. The apertures 24 may have acircular or square cross section. A square cross section may be suitablefor accepting a carriage or stove bolt (not shown).

An equipment support member, which may be a shelf or tray 90, may bedisposed between the vertical panels 20 and fastened thereto, so as toprovide a support for equipment such as a storage battery 60. Aplurality of apertures 36 may be formed in a side member of the tray 90.The apertures 36 may be spaced so that pairs of the apertures 36 may bealigned with pairs of the apertures 24. The apertures 36 may have around or square cross section. The apertures 36 are spaced so that thetray may be disposed at a different distance with respect to the frontof the equipment cabinet 1, so as to result in a staggered positioningof the trays. Alternatively, the trays may be disposed directly aboveone another. The tray 90 may be secured to the vertical panels 20 usingbolts passed through the apertures 24 and 36 and secured by a nut. Whenapertures 24 and 36 have a square cross section, a carriage or stovebolt may be used. The carriage bolt has a square cross section portionadjoining the head, and this portion may engage the side panel 20 andall of, or a portion of, a thickness of the side member 36.

The tray 90 may be provided with a front and rear retaining pieces 92,where the retaining piece 92 is affixed to the horizontal portion 96 ofthe tray 90. The retaining piece 92 may be made of metal, or of aplastic material such as polycarbonate resin thermoplastic, which may beknown, for example, by the trade name LEXAN. The front retaining piece92 may be formed so as to have two vertical surfaces, and the verticalsurfaces may be displaced horizontally from each other. When the frontretaining piece 92 is mounted to the tray 90, and batteries 60 arepresent, a gap may be formed between the inner-facing surface of theupper vertical portion of the front retaining piece 92, and a frontsurface of the battery 60. Cables may be laid in this gap.

The batteries 60 may be restrained in a vertical direction by a crosspiece 38, which may be a U-channel, an L-channel, or the like, and whichis attachable to the side panels by a fastener. The cross piece 28 maybe fitted with a resilient member on the underside thereof. A similarcross piece may be formed on the underside of each of the trays 90, orthe cross piece 38 used at other levels of the equipment cabinet 1.

A fairing panel 18 may be provided, being formed so as to cover theregion of the vertical panels 20 having the apertures 24. The fairingpanel 18 may be attached to the vertical panel 20 by bolts, tabs or thelike. Typically, this may be provided at the vertical panel 20 situatedat the end of a row of cabinets.

A method of manufacturing a battery cabinet is described, the methodincluding: providing a base and attaching a pair of vertical panels tothe base. The vertical panels are provided with a corrugation portionthat has apertures spaced along a length thereof. A pair of crossmembers or an equipment tray is attached to the vertical panels at asame distance above the base so as to form a shelf dimensioned tosupport a battery. A wiring harness suitable for connecting a pluralityof batteries is installed in the cabinet. A plurality of batteries maybe placed on the shelf and connected to the wiring harness.

The batteries may be retained in the cabinet by the combination of thecross members, and one or more retaining brackets or straps, so that thecabinet may be shipped with the batteries installed. Alternatively, abattery shelf may be provided, and the battery shelf may have bracketsor straps suitable for retaining the batteries in shipment or in use.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description beregarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understoodthat it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that areintended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

1-18. (canceled)
 19. A storage battery cabinet for a power supplysystem, comprising: a base adapted to rest on a horizontal surface; apair of opposing vertical panels with a vertical corrugation in asurface of each thereof, each of the pair of panels having substantiallyrectangular perimeter, wherein the pair of panels are mounted with thevertical corrugation orthogonal to the horizontal surface; a pluralityof horizontal support shelves, sized and dimensioned to support storagebatteries in a single row on each shelf; and spaced apart in a verticaldirection by at least a height of a storage battery; and a firstrestraining lip associated with each horizontal support shelf of theplurality of horizontal support shelves, positioned such that storagebatteries supported by the horizontal support shelf are restrained frommotion towards a front plane of the cabinet, wherein a front surface ofa storage battery on a shelf of storage batteries, when restrained bythe first restraining lip, is spaced at a greater horizontal distancefrom the front plane of the cabinet than the front surface of acorrespondingly located storage battery on an adjacent lower shelf ofstorage batteries.
 20. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein the frontsurface of the storage battery is a planar vertical surface having apair of electrical terminals disposed thereon.
 21. The cabinet of claim19, wherein the front surface of the storage battery is a planarvertical surface that is proximal to a pair of electrical terminalsdisposed on a planar horizontal top surface thereof.
 22. The cabinet ofclaim 19, having at least three horizontal shelves.
 23. The cabinet ofclaim 19, wherein the first restraining lip is removably attached to thehorizontal support shelf.
 24. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein the firstrestraining lip is removably attached to the cabinet.
 25. The cabinet ofclaim 19, wherein the horizontal support shelf has a second restraininglip at a rear end of the shelf and the storage batteries, whenrestrained by the first restraining lip, are prevented from movementtowards a rear of the cabinet by the second restraining lip.
 26. Thecabinet of claim 19, further comprising a group of storage batteriespositioned in a single row on each of at least three mutually adjacenthorizontal shelves.
 27. The cabinet of claim 26, wherein a group ofstorage batteries is connected in a series string.
 28. The cabinet ofclaim 19, wherein the horizontal support shelves are fastened to eachpanel of the pair of opposing vertical panels at at least twohorizontally-spaced locations, the at least two horizontally spacedfastening locations spaced apart from a vertical edge of the verticalpanel.
 29. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein a front-to-back dimension ofhorizontal storage shelves is at least equal to a maximum horizontaldimension of a storage battery of the storage batteries an less than afront-to-back dimension of a panel of the vertical panels.
 30. Thecabinet of claim 19, wherein a third retaining bracket is fastened to atleast one horizontal support shelf, disposed on a surface thereofopposite to a surface adapted for supporting storage batteries, anddimensioned to restrain a vertical motion of storage batteries mountedon another horizontal support shelf disposed beneath the horizontalsupport shelf.
 31. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein the firstrestraining lip is fabricated from a plastic material.
 32. The cabinetof claim 31, wherein the plastic material is a polycarbonatethermoplastic resin.
 33. The cabinet of claim 19, further comprising afairing panel, sized, dimensioned and attachable to at least one of thepair of opposing vertical panels so as to cover a region of the at leastone of the pair of opposing vertical panels to which each horizontalsupport shelf is fastenable.
 34. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein thefirst restraining lip on a first horizontal support shelf and a firstrestraining lip on a second support shelf of a group of horizontalsupport shelves has a same fixed distance relationship with respect to afront vertical surface of the batteries on a first and a secondhorizontal support shelves of storage batteries, respectively.
 35. Thecabinet of claim 19, wherein at least two of the plurality of horizontalsupport shelves are disposed such that a front portion of a firstsupport shelf is positioned at a first horizontal distance from a frontplane of the cabinet and a front portion of a second support shelf ispositioned at a second horizontal distance from the front plane.
 36. Thecabinet of claim 19, wherein a horizontal support shelf of the pluralityof horizontal support shelves is comprised of at least two horizontalcross members, adjacent cross members spaced horizontally apart in afront-to-back dimension.
 37. The cabinet of claim 36, wherein horizontalsupport shelf further comprise a horizontal plate bridging the at leasttwo horizontal cross members.
 38. The cabinet of claim 19, wherein theperimeter is rectangular.